Cognitive Impairment

Various terms can be included in the category of Cognitive impairment or Cognitive deficit, including : MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment ), static encephalopathy, degenerative brain disease, any of a variety of dementias, etc.

Cognitive impairment is in fact an inclusive term to describe any condition that acts as a barrier to ”thinking”. The term may describe deficits in global ntellectual disability (previously called mental retardation), or other deficits in cognitive abilities (previously called learning disability), or it may describe drug-induced cognitive/memory impairment, such as that seen with alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, “steroids” (especially glucocorticoids), and has been reported as an adverse effect of many other medications .

Cognitive deficits are also caused by environmental factors such as toxic effects of pesticides, nutritional deficiency, TBI/concussion, as well as by vascular diseases and by multiple degenerative brain diseases as are Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Lewy Bodies , and other.